Sangha of Auspicious Companions

September 6, 2019

a project of ServiceSpace

The Bad Kids

Vonda Viland is a mother figure, coach, cheerleader, and counselor. She has to be. As the principal of Black Rock Continuation High School on the edge of California’s Mojave Desert, Ms. V–as she’s known to her 121 at-risk students has heard countless stories of personal or familial alcohol or drug addiction, chronic truancy, and physical and sexual abuse. Over 90 percent of the school’s students live below the poverty line; most have a history of serious disciplinary issues and have fallen too far behind at traditional schools to catch up. As a new documentary about the school titled “The Bad Kids” explains, Black Rock is the students’ “last chance.” { read more }

Be The Change

For more inspiration watch “Teach Me to Be Wild” which tells the story of an animal sanctuary where injured animals and wounded youth heal together. { more }

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The Teachings of Grass

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September 5, 2019

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How Space Can Heal What Divides Us

The Overview Effect is the experience many astronauts describe after seeing the Earth from space. “There, devoid of territory lines and set in the vast backdrop of the universe, this spectacle gives them a new perspective on our need to come together as a global society. For most, it is profoundly life-changing.” Two years ago, MaryLiz Bender was so inspired by this phenomenon that she sold her belongings and set out for a minimal life on the road in search of answers from astronauts to better understand their transformation. In all of her interviews, the common theme was that seeing the Earth from space causes a shift in perspective that elevates empathy. In this article, Bender shares what she’s learned and provides insights into the profound effects of living from a place of awe and wonder. { read more }

Be The Change

Visit MaryLiz’s website, Cosmic Perspective, to see how she and her partner Ryan use film and innovative techniques that fuse art and technology to take people on a journey at the forefront of space exploration. { more }

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September 4, 2019

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My Small Moment of Mending Brokenness

“I used to believe that I was a very accepting person. But a few weeks ago, something happened at my workplace that made me recognize my own brokenness — it helped me see the disconnect between my values, and how I respond in certain moments. I work at the front desk of a hotel. On multiple occasions over the past couple of weeks, a sex-worker reserved a room on our property. Sitting at the front desk I’d see her interacting with people in the corridor, I’d see her check-in and check-out. And I would have this incredibly palpable feeling of disgust come up whenever she walked by…But there was another side of me which was like, “Wait a minute! At the end of the day, she’s a human being with a soul and inside of her is the beauty that Mother Earth puts in each and every one of us. So why am I judging her?” What follows is a simple yet profound story of healing. { read more }

Be The Change

Experiment with regarding people ‘in the light of what they suffer’ this week. Notice whether this practice catalyzes any shifts within you.

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September 3, 2019

a project of ServiceSpace

Send Silence Packing: A Mission of Hope

Sometimes things fall apart in a way that we simply fall silent. Sometimes there simply are no words we can say or hear to help us deal with our trauma. Such quiet time can provide the buffer necessary to absorb the impact. Staying here too long though can bring the necessary healing process to a halt, both for ourselves and others suffering in similar ways. Read this story of how one woman decided to break the silence about her brother’s mental health struggles and subsequent suicide in a mission to change the stereotypes that lead to silence and unnecessary suffering. { read more }

Be The Change

How might you risk breaking a silence in your own life to bring healing, for yourself and others.

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September 2, 2019

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The Friendship Bench

Globally, more than 300 million people suffer from depression, according to the World Health Organization. Depression is the world’s leading cause of disability and it contributes to 800,000 suicides per year, the majority of which occur in developing countries. Yet those suffering from depression have few options due to a dearth of mental health professionals. In brainstorming how to tackle this problem, Dixon Chibanda, director of the African Mental Health Research Initiative, arrived at an unlikely solution. Since 2006, Chibanda and his team have trained over 400 grandmothers in evidence-based talk therapy, which they deliver for free in more than 70 communities in Zimbabwe. The method has been empirically vetted and has been expanded to countries beyond, including the US. { read more }

Be The Change

Think of a nagging problem you face in your life or community where you lack access to the needed solution. Literally “throw up you hands” and give up trying to get what’s not available. Now look around you. What can you do with what you have?

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September 1, 2019

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Look With Your Heart: Lessons from My Time with My Grandmother

In 2003 theater artist Mia Tagano relocated to California from NYC to be with her grandmother who was living with dementia. Over the next sixteen years she would navigate the poignant territory of loving and caring for someone she could not build shared memories with, someone who would open Mia’s heart to life’s deepest lessons, someone she would learn to love tenderly, diligently, and unconditionally in the ever present now. What follows is one of the many inspiring stories Mia has shared with her wide circle of friends and well-wishers about her beloved soul friend, teacher and grandmother. { read more }

Be The Change

Cherish your loved ones today and all days. Mia’s grandmother peacefully passed this Saturday. If you’d like you can send Mia a note, honoring the generosity with which she shared her grandmother’s spirit and their beautiful relationship with the world. { more }

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August 31, 2019

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Wendell Berry on Caretaking

“In 2018, Helena Norberg-Hodge sat down with Wendell Berry for a far-reaching discussion. The two are giants of the local economy movement. Berry is a poet and activist, an author of over forty books. Norberg-Hodge founded Local Futures, which works to renew ecological, social, and spiritual well-being by promoting a systemic shift toward economic localization.Together they touch on human nature, technology, experiential knowledge, agriculture policy, happiness, wildness, and local food systems. Through their discussion, Berry and Norberg-Hodge offer a critique of our economic system and show how the caretaking of the natural world and local communities are one and the same.”

{ read more }

Be The Change

For more inspiration, read Berry’s profound piece: What Are People For? { more }

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